Decisions made and actions taken by individuals in the operations function impact the formation of a company’s manufacturing strategy (MS). Therefore, strategic consensus among the individuals in the operations function is essential. This research contributes to the current body of knowledge by including a workers’ perspective on MS formation. To ensure a successful MS formation, where the patterns of the decisions made by the individuals in the operations function forms the MS, this research suggests to view the MS formation as an iterative “patterning process” which builds on a reciprocal relationship between workers and managers.